Pro golfers dream of winning tournaments. We believe that Nirvana awaits in the winner’s circle, a place where all the work and sacrifice is vindicated. A place where catharsis washes over you like holy water and you are baptized in victory.
Some of golf’s heroes have fallen recently and it’s made me question the value of winning and the cost of chasing greatness. Sunday, on the final green of the Canadian Open, and at the Korn Ferry Tour event in Amarillo, Tex., two 36-year-old winners and their families restored my faith in the pursuit.
Eight years after a nearly fatal car crash, Bud Cauley had a tap-in to secure his first victory on the PGA Tour. As he waited to hole the final putt, he saw his family waiting beside the green.
It had been 15 years since he turned pro after his junior year at Alabama. 15 years, five broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken leg, surgery complications, and no wins. He had to wipe his eyes before he could brush in the 10-inch putt to claim his first tournament. After Cauley picked the ball from the hole, Kristi, Cooper and Miles were waiting with open arms.
“That’s a moment I’ve thought a lot about,” Cauley said in his press conference. “Even last year a couple times when I was in contention, my family wasn't with me. It would always kind of cross my mind that hopefully for my first win, everyone would be here.”
Bud and Kristi had married in the midst of complications from the car crash. You can only imagine what they climbed out of together. Cauley said the crash led to them getting married and starting a family. Strength in a dark time.
1,500 miles away, Zack Fischer holed a two-and-a-half footer to win his first KFT event in his 16-year career. After 171 KFT starts, his wife, Katie, two daughters and parents wrapped him in tearful hugs.
Katie, like Kristi, helped keep the dream alive. She worked two jobs for years to alleviate the financial burden on the family. There must have been doubts. There must have been bills that had to wait. After Zack lost Korn Ferry Tour status in 2017 and spent years on the mini tours, no one would have faulted him for trading the clubs for a desk and a steady paycheck. Zack considered how much longer he could continue playing when he was demoted to PGA Tour Americas in 2024. But he and Katie kept the faith.
Zack began the season with conditional status after finishing 93rd on the 2025 KFT points list and T92nd at the final stage of Q-School. His game showed promise in the winter months, but he didn’t have a place to play.
When Fischer finally got into an event in Argentina, he never found a rhythm and missed the cut. He had one last chance to move up the priority list before he was essentially locked out for the remainder of the season after the reshuffle.
He opened with a 3-under 68 at the Astra Chile Classic. By the turn in Round 2, he was 1-over and sitting on the cut line. For the 36-year-old, it was now or never.
Fischer’s mental coach, a former Navy SEAL, was carrying his bag. In the heat of battle, Fischer couldn’t have picked a stronger teammate. He also had been working on letting a higher power guide him. Five birdies followed when he needed them most. Fischer built on the made cut with a 5-under 66 in the final round to move up dozens of places on the priority list.
It paid some expenses and bought him more time. He made the most of that time this week in Texas.
Fischer began Sunday in a bright orange shirt and with a four-shot lead. By the 18th hole, it was down to one. He shanked an approach shot out-of-bounds with five holes to play. Meanwhile, 2022 U.S. Amateur runner-up Ben Carr closed birdie-eagle. Pressure applied. After a nervy miss into the right fairway bunker off the tee, Fischer played an approach to 46 feet, rolled his lag putt to two-and-a-half feet, and sunk the short tester to win.
His oldest daughter reached him first with a flower she had picked. “I got some flowers for you!” she said as Fischer picked her up. Then the youngest Fischer came squeaking across the green and grabbed onto her dad. Fischer had his hands full as the crowd cheered for him.
Whether he won or lost, his family loved him. “Thank you for watching me,” Fischer said through a shaky voice between kisses with Katie and the girls.
Fischer’s mother added a tearful hug. The smile never left Fischer’s dad’s face when it was his turn.
Words fail in such moments. The love is so radiant we can’t turn away; the connection between people is so powerful that you can almost see it. You can watch love grow before your eyes.
It’s all there: the early morning flights, the exhausting absent hours on the road, the struggles, the uncertainty, doubt, and hope. It’s a family experience.
The Fischers will never forget that moment. The Cauleys will never forget theirs. They’ve been through too much to take it for granted.
For all of us, it’s a glimpse into what really matters. Hopefully, we can see our own lives a little more clearly because of it.
